Chapter 551-560
“They’re my dad’s clients. Shouldn’t I be treating them well?” Anastasia was unsure of what she should
do.
“There’s no need for that since all of them are more than happy to continue working with your father’s
company.” Elliot curled his lips into a smile.
Anastasia clearly sensed the arrogance in his tone. After all, this man was the reason these people
were here to seek a coboration with Tillman Constructions.
Currently, the conference room was filled to the brim with all these people. As Anastasia sat in the
foremost seat with Elliot by her side, each of the participants came up to her and introduced
themselves briefly before they proceeded to discuss with the employees regarding their respective
projects, such as the supply of materials and conditions for working together in the future.
Without lifting a finger, Anastasia watched thepanye back to life. It was all thanks to Elliot that
thepany that was on the brink of bankruptcy was so full of vitality right now.
“Miss Tillman, are you satisfied with my pricing? You’d be pleased to know this is the highest price
we’ve ever offered to anypany.”
Since the man had already said this much, Anastasia nodded with a faint smile. “I am very satisfied.”
“Miss Tillman, I still have several properties under construction. I’ll be using yourpany for the
building materials.”
“Miss Tillman, we will keep a close eye on supplying Tillman Constructions. As long as yourpany is
in urgent need of raw materials, we will be the first to send them.”
Anastasia was all smiles as she listened to all these prominent figures. The managers of Tillman
Constructions were no exception, as their smiles were even wider than that of Anastasia’s. They knew
thepany was not only saved but would continue to grow even bigger from now on.
“They’re my dad’s clients. Shouldn’t I be treating them well?” Anastasia was unsure of what she should
do.
“I’ll leave the rest to you all.” Elliot had been patient in listening to all of them before he stood up and
took Anastasia’s hand. “Let’s go take a break.”
Anastasia was speechless at what Elliot suggested, as she felt it was inappropriate for her to take a
break when thepany was having such an important meeting. Yet, the man continued to drag her
out of the conference room without an exnation. “I am the president here, so I should be staying with
them inside,” she said begrudgingly.
“We can’t waste time here, as we still have a lot to do,” Elliot replied.
When Anastasia saw they were heading to the finance department, she immediately realized it was
time to recover the money Alex had embezzled from thepany.
Although there were still Alex’s men in the department, each and every one of them wore a stern
expression at the moment and dared not even take a deep breath. “Miss Tillman, do you have business
with us?”
“Alex had made a transfer of 30 million. I want to see the records of that transfer.”
One of the men’s eyes lit up; that man was Alex’s only aplice here. Alex would not let everyone
know about the transfer with a sum that huge. Thus, he was the sole aplice.
“You there,e here.” For someone as astute as Elliot, he managed to identify the aplice with
just one look.
“President Presgrave… Can I help you?”
“If you sort out all the evidence of Alex’s embezzlement, I will spare you for your wrongdoings,” Elliot
said, his tone cold and hostile.
The employee in question immediately had his face grow white in fear. “President Hunter did indeed
ask me to make a false ount, but that money… that money is already in an overseas ount and is
completely untraceable. It’s impossible to get that money back.”
“I just need you to get the evidence ready.” Saying that, Elliot patted Anastasia on her shoulder. “I’ll go
make a phone call.” He then left after Anastasia nodded in acknowledgment.
After Elliot left, Alex’s aplice immediately came over to Anastasia with his fear clear as day. “Miss
Tillman, I’m sorry. President Hunter forced me to do this. I had to do it for my family…”
“How much did you take?” Anastasia did not believe the man in front of her was innocent.
“I… only took a million…” The man hung his head sheepishly. “I’ll return the money to thepany and
sort out the evidence at once. So, Miss Tillman, please spare me. Don’t send me to jail.”
“That will depend on whether your atonement is good enough. Should you still have something you’re
not telling us, I guarantee you will be going down with Alex,” said Anastasia resoundingly with her eyes
clear and cold.
Overwhelmed with fear and awe, the employee hurriedly said, “Miss Tillman, I am also a coward by
nature, which is why I’ve recorded the conversation between me and President Hunter. I’ll send the
recording to you along with the evidence of his embezzlement.”
“Good.” As Anastasia said that, she looked at everyone in the room and announced, “I’ll hunt you down
if any of you informs Alex behind my back.”
Instantly, everyone became tense. They could already guess how Alex would end up, so nobody dared
to be on his side at this time.
“Don’t worry, Miss Tillman. None of us will inform President Hunter,” said one of the older employees.
Anastasia nodded after hearing his answer.
At this moment, Elliot strode into the room and told her with his eyes that he had gotten back the
money that Alex had embezzled.
With the connections that he had, getting the money back was as easy as ABC. Now, Anastasia should
also begin to prepare for Alex’s arrest.
“Thewyers that I hired for you are on their way here now. They’ll get ready with the procedures.”
Elliot had already handled everything for her as he wanted Alex to be thrown behind bars more than
she did.
Most importantly, each and every one of hiswyers were experts, so they would definitely have Alex in
prison for the rest of his life.
A grateful Anastasia hugged Elliot around his waist. “Thank you. I really don’t know how to return your
favor.”
He kissed her on her hair before saying, “That’s what I’m here for.”
In fact, the reason why he did all these was not only because of her, but he was also repaying the
Tillmans for being the reason for her mother’s death.
“Good.” As Anastasia said that, she looked at everyone in the room and announced, “I’ll hunt you down
if any of you informs Alex behind my back.”
At this moment, Anastasia decided in her heart that she would always be by his side for the rest of her
life, no matter what happened.
On the other hand, Alex was having an intimate moment with Hayley in the apartment. With this money,
he could bring her abroad and enjoy themselves there in no time.
Although she was not really into traveling abroad, she wouldn’t let this chance slip when he had this
large amount of money in hand. “You’re really impressive, Alex! Now, Erica will definitely go down with
Tillman Constructions!” she said with a smile tugged on her lips.
“She’s really an idiot. I don’t think she can aplish anything in her life.” Alex greatly despised
anyone like Erica. Meanwhile, Hayley was so proud that she could enjoy herself with Anastasia’s
father’s money without her knowing!
“Let’s start our vacation at the beach first and enjoy our life to the fullest,” he told her while hugging her.
“Okay, whatever you say. My job is only to have good food, have fun, and make you happy,” she
dered happily.
“By the way, do you know Erica’s sister, Anastasia?” Alex asked her as he was always curious about
this.
“Anastasia?” Hayley pretended to recall. “I met her a few times a long time ago. Why?”
He started to look at her face closely as though he was trying to find another woman through her. “You
truly look like her.”
Hearing that, she felt bitter on the inside. Why does every man that has met Anastasia get obsessed
with her? Elliot is obsessed with her, and so is Alex! Why am I always her substitute?
“Don’t tell me that you like me because I look like her.” She pretended to be jealous and turned her
head to the side.
“What? No. I don’t give a damn about her. She’s already another man’s toy.”
“Whose toy?” A surprised Hayley thought, Is there anything else that I don’t know about her?
While grinding his teeth in anger, Alex replied, “Elliot Presgrave.”
“Elliot Presgrave? Isn’t he the president of the Presgrave Group?” She knowingly wore a puzzled face.
Then, a contemptuous Alex grunted, “Other than all the dirty money that he has, he’s actually nothing!”
Têxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.
Looking at his furious face, Hayley mocked him in her mind. Is he honestly saying that when he’s the
one who is ‘nothing’? In her heart, no matter how many Alex’s there were, they couldn’tpete with
one Elliot.
However, she still needed to look at him with her face full of affection. “I don’t care who Elliot is. I just
know that I love you, and don’t you dare say I look like anyone again. I don’t like that.”
“Okay, okay. I won’t.” He embraced her in his arms, but deep down, he always treated Hayley as
Anastasia’s substitute because she really looked like Anastasia most of the time.
Meanwhile, at Tillman Constructions…
When Anastasia heard from Rey that Alex was in his apartment with Hayley, she knew that she should
tell Erica about it.
She needed to let her know who was the one constantly pestering Alex, spending her money without
her knowledge, and making her get the cold treatment after her marriage—her best friend, Hayley.
If she revealed everything to her, she expected to see a heated argument between these two best
friends. Although she couldn’t be there in person to see it, she wanted to let Hayley know the
consequences of stealing another person’s man.
With that in mind, she took her phone and called Erica.
“Hello, Anastasia? What’s the matter?” Erica was a little nervous when she picked up the phone.
“Although I hate you, I still need to tell you this. Alex has been together with Hayley throughout your
marriage with him. They are now together in his apartment. You can go there and see it for yourself.”
“What? Hayley? Are you sure?” As expected, Erica was shocked. From what she knew, there was zero
interactions between Hayley and Alex!
“See it for yourself if it’s Hayley or not. I’ll send you the address.” As soon as Anastasia said that, she
sent the address to Erica.
At this moment, Erica was actually preparing to go home, but when she saw the address, she
navigated to the apartment immediately.
While on the way, she was screaming inside her head, How is that possible? Hayley and Alex are
together? But when? Don’t tell me that she was with him for all those ‘outstation’ nights that he told me
about. And what about the money he withdrew using my card when his bank ount was frozen? Was
it for Hayley? When Anastasia heard from Rey that Alex was in his apartment with Hayley, she knew
that she should tell Erica about it.
Her mind was going crazy as she recalled that Hayley had only gone to Tillman Constructions once
with her. Did she hook up with Alex that day? If that’s the case, then they’ve been together for nearly
three months!
As to why Alex would fall for Hayley, it was just a simple question—her face, which she did stic
surgery on to look exactly like Anastasia. With that face, it would be an easy task to lure him, who had
been longing for Anastasia all this while.
When Erica reached her destination, she strode right into Alex’s apartment with some other people and
pressed the 18th-floor button in the elevator. Just as she reached the 18th floor, she saw a janitor
carrying out her duty.
So, she asked the janitor, “Madam, can you do me a favor and knock on the door of that room?”
“Miss, don’t you have your hands yourself?”
“My husband is inside with another woman. If I knock on the door, they definitely will not open it. Can
you help me, please?” She put on a sorrowful face.
Hearing that, the kind-hearted janitor answered with a righteous expression, “Okay. I’ll knock it for you.”
Then, she went to knock on the door while Erica was hiding beside the wall.
When Hayley heard the knock, she stood up from the couch and looked through the peephole, only to
see it was the janitor. Then, she reached out her hand to open the door and asked unpleasantly, “Yes?”
However, the janitor just ignored her and turned around, walking away. Just as the puzzled Hayley
wanted to close the door, someone busted open the door forcefully and dashed into the apartment right
away.
When the two women faced each other, Hayley was in total shock, while Erica was ring at her in a
fury, as she didn’t expect it to really be Hayley.
“Erica, why…” Hayley took a step back with her hand over her mouth. At this moment, Erica was like
an enraged tigress.
“It’s really you… Did you hook up with him when I was in a rtionship with him? And did you continue
living with him even after I married him?” A raging fire could be seen in Erica’s eyes.
“I’m sorry, Erica… But I can exin… I…” Despite how smart Hayley was, she was unprepared for this
moment and lost her skills to defend herself.
“Exin what? You’re really shameless, Hayley. Are you even human?” Erica’s anger was not only
because of their affair, but she also felt that she had been fooled all this while. When she and Alex
were just boyfriend and girlfriend, she would show affection toward him in front of Hayley all the time,
telling her how much this yboy loved her and cherished her. But it turned out that they were all just
jokes in Hayley’s eyes.
Hayley definitely had a goodugh at her from the beginning. As she humiliated her, she went behind
her back to be lovey-dovey with Alex!
“I’m gonna f*king kill you, Hayley Seymour!” Erica bellowed. Right then, she threw her purse and went
forward to grab Hayley’s hair.
Meanwhile, Alex, who had just fallen asleep in the main bedroom, suddenly heard noises of women
fighting and screaming outside. He even heard someone shouting for his help. “Save me, Alex…” It
was Hayley’s voice.
Hearing that, he quickly jumped out of bed and rushed out of the room, only to see two women yanking
and kicking each other on the floor. One of them was Hayley, and the other one was Erica.
He froze in shock after seeing Erica there. Why is she here?
“Stop it, Erica!” he bellowed before stepping into the fight to pull Erica away from Hayley and push her
onto the ground.
With her reddened eyes, Erica red at Hayley and snapped, “You shameful wh*re! I’ll make your life
miserable!”
Hayley, on the other hand, was tidying up her hair and touching every part of her face furtively as she
was afraid that Erica had disced the imnts on her face.
“Are you okay, Hayley? Are you hurt?” Alex asked her with concern.
Although Erica abhorred Alex, he still used to be her husband. So, seeing him showing concern for
another woman with her own eyes still incited hatred in her.
“Alex Hunter, you’re both not fit to be human! You’re just a sc*m and a b*tch! Rot in hell, you two!”
“Are you done, Erica? Get lost if you’re done. My rtionship with Alex is none of your business,”
Hayley said while grinding her teeth. She just wanted Erica to leave the ce at once, since Erica is
totally worthless in her eyes now. Meanwhile, Alex, who had just fallen asleep in the main bedroom,
suddenly heard noises of women fighting and screaming outside. He even heard someone shouting for
his help. “Save me, Alex…” It was Hayley’s voice.
“Haha! Alex, are you so in love with her because she looks like Anastasia? Let me tell you—”
“Shut up, Erica.” Hayley red at her, warning her.
Ignoring her, Erica smiled with a smug look on her face and looked at Alex before saying, “Do you
know that her face is fake? She went for stic surgery and had her face done based on Anastasia’s
face. I guess you’ve definitely not seen how ugly she wasst time! Let me show you what she looked
like.”
As soon as she said that, she took out her phone and started to search through her album. Even
though Hayley dashed to her, trying to grab her phone, Erica still found one photo of Hayley’s face
before the stic surgery and showed it to Alex. “Take a look! Now you know how fake her face is. She
has spent a few million on it!”
At this moment, Alex waspletely stunned. He grabbed Erica’s phone from her hand and saw the
face in the photo. The person in the photo had a square face, which lookedpletely different from
how Hayley looked now.
“Is this really you?” he asked Hayley, whose expression was turning mad.
Hearing that, Hayley heaved a sigh. “You said you wouldn’t care about my past, Alex.”
“Haha! Her past is really splendid. She has slept with almost every man she met. You should ask her
how many she has slept with before you.” Hayley went over and took her phone back from Alex’s hand.
“Get out, Erica!” Hayley shouted while pointing at the door.
“Why should I get out? I still haven’t asked you to return my money yet! When his bank ount was
frozen, he withdrew 40,000 for you, right?”
“You…” Gnashing her teeth, Hayley answered, “Ya. I spent it all. So, what?”
“You’re really shameless. I’d like to see how long you can keep your fake face on. Are you nning to
get Alex’s money so that you can go fix your fake face?” Erica shouted at her.
“You shut your f*cking mouth!” Hayley’s face was turning ferocious.
Meanwhile, Alex just looked at them calmly from the side because, at this moment, he realized how
spurious Hayley was. Now, he had a change of n—he wouldn’t be sharing a penny of his money
with her anymore.
“Both of you get out! This is my house. Hayley, pack up your stuff and get out of here.” Alex was a
hard-hearted person who knew the right timing to cut losses early.
Instantly, Hayley’s face paled, and she was growing anxious. “Don’t listen to her bullsh*t, Alex. My face
is fine, and it will stay the same for the rest of my life.”
She had poured her heart and spent so much time trying to get this man, but she had not gained any
money from him yet! So, she didn’t want this rtionship to end this way.
“Get lost! I feel disgusted whenever I see your face.” Alex was furious all of a sudden and looked at
Hayley with his eyes full of hatred.
Erica picked up her bag and told Alex, “You think that I’ll be doomed, right? I’ll tell you this. I won’t be
saddled with debts.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“I’ve passed all my shares to Anastasia. So, Tillman Constructions is hers now,” she announced
proudly. “I still have my way out.”
“What?” Alex’s expression instantly changed after he heard her. He went up to Erica, stopped her from
leaving, and asked, “Anastasia took over Tillman Constructions? When was that?”
“This morning.”
Instantly, he turned to his room and grabbed his phone, dialing a number.
All of a sudden, a furious Hayley held Erica’s arm. “Who sent you here?” She thought Erica would
never find out about her rtionship with Alex because she was hiding it really well.
Erica swung her hand and scoffed, “Anastasia told me about it. Don’t you think it’s really ironic?”
“What?” Hayley’s face took on a ghastly expression once again. It’s Anastasia again? Why is she
always going against me?
Just then, Alex shouted from his room, “Why is my money gone?!”
Hearing that, Erica immediately realized something was up with Alex, so she spun on her heels and left
the ce. At the same time, Hayley noticed something as well.
Since Anastasia had taken over Tillman Constructions, therge sum of money that he embezzled
would definitely be recovered, and he would need to bear the consequences.
Now, Hayley didn’t want anything anymore; she just wanted to cut ties with Alexpletely.
Disregarding everything, she was ready to leave too. Erica picked up her bag and told Alex, “You think
that I’ll be doomed, right? I’ll tell you this. I won’t be saddled with debts.”
At this moment, all she heard was Alex cursing in rage, noises of him breaking things, and his bellows
about his missing money.
This man was nothing to her anymore. With coldness in her eyes, she took her bag and left the ce,
as she was also tired of acting for such a long time with him.
As Erica was going downstairs, she met a few men who were going up, and she was a little surprised
by that. When she came out to the parking lot, there were several patrol cars and a few men there
watching over the ce. Curious, she sat in her car and wanted to see who they were arresting.
After a while, she also saw Hayleying out of the apartment in dejection and leaving from the
opposite direction.
She stared at Hayley, desperately wanting to hit her with the car when she realized how blind she was
previously to be best friends with her all this while.
Come to think of it now! It’s so sickening that since I got married to Alex, I’ve been sharing the same
men with her. She felt nauseous thinking about it.
On the other hand, Alex was still anxiously calling the bank to check why his money was missing. The
banker, on the other side, told him frankly that his transaction had been found to be illegal and that the
bank would halt the process of recovering the money from overseas.
Just as he was raving, he heard someone break into his apartment. Shocked, he rushed out of his
room, and the inclothes police, who broke into his apartment, jumped on him and immediately
pressed him onto the floor.
“Alex Hunter, you’re under arrest for embezzlement. You’ll need to follow us back to the station for
further investigation.”
At this moment, Alex’s mind froze for a moment, and something came through his mind all of a sudden.
It’s a trap. It was a trap that Anastasia set for him to purposely let him embezzle that money after
seeing his greediness and tricks.
He was in deep regret when he realized he had fallen into Anastasia’s trap and had jumped into the
abyss with his own feet.
The thirty million, together with the three million that he had embezzled previously, could get him a
sentence of more than 10 years in prison.
Within 15 minutes, Erica saw a few inclothes policeing out of the apartment with a person
arrested, and that person was Alex.
Shocked, she saw him having his head pressed and entering the patrol car. Instantly, her brain started
to figure out what was going on. Why is Alex arrested? What did he do?
He’d told me about a thirty-million sum of money previously, and he divorced me a few days after that.
Since he was in the finance department and he also had a record for embezzlement, did he embezzle
that thirty million too? And he’s arrested now because Anastasia found out about it?
At the side of a car not far away, Hayley looked at Alex getting arrested in the patrol car with a cold
gaze. Her eyes were emotionless as he was just a cash machine to her.
As Hayley recalled how Alex reacted when he saw her older pictures, she was irked by his
exaggerated expression. As expected, he only liked her because of her resemnce to Anastasia.
“Anastasia, why are you constantly on my tail?” Hayley grumbled.
After the policemen left, Erica became anxious. She suddenly had an urge to go to the spot where she
pushed Wanda down. She wanted to verify whether Wanda was still near the reef. In order to peace
her mind, she hurried over there.
Is Mrs. Garner dead?
On the contrary, Wanda survived. Although she was a vicious person, she was fortunate enough to
survive the fall. After she was pushed into the sea by Erica, she was swept to the shore by the waves.
When she was found, she had been submerged in the sea for a long period of time and was sent to the
nearest hospital. Even though she had been resuscitated, she had fallen into aa.
As Erica stood by the sea shore and nced at the vast ocean, which seemed like the perfect burial
ground. Mrs. Garner might have perished. She stayed there for a while before leaving.
Back then, when Tillman Constructions was in the news, it was about thepany being on the brink
of bankruptcy and how they were in arrears with their employees’ pay which made the headlines. The
media somehow heard rumors about it and released the news in order to boost traffic and readership.
On that day, news about Tillman Constructions’ revival made the news. All of their employees were well
compensated, and some of the biggest names in real estate had signed coboration agreements with
them. Instantly, Tillman Constructions was regarded as one of the most promisingpanies within its
industry. As Hayley recalled how Alex reacted when he saw her older pictures, she was irked by his
exaggerated expression. As expected, he only liked her because of her resemnce to Anastasia.
The incident regarding Naomi and her daughter’s online article that had caused a frenzy and put
Anastasia in a bad light was overturned because of this. Subsequently, the incident of Naomi being
suspected of murdering her husband and robbing his inheritance was revealed. At the same time,
Anastasia’s efforts to save her father were also reported.
Anastasia’s reputation had instantly improved and she was viewed in a good light by theizens. They
praised her for her good looks, her acts of filial piety, and her new status as Tillman Construction’s
current president.
She only found out about the news while she was on her way back from the hospital. The news
amused her, and she believed that it was the doing of Elliot. In actual fact, he was the one that bailed
out Tillman Corporation, but he gave her all the credits. She had won praise for being a savvy president
who had sessfully redeemed her reputation. Although Anastasia was never bothered by how others
looked at her, those nastyments in the past did hurt her feelings.
In the hospital, Francis was pushed into the ward after the doctor performed checks on him. After being
in aa for a month, he finally regained consciousness.
The nurse who came into his ward noticed that his eyes were open and she walked over surprisedly.
“Mr. Tillman, you’re awake.”
Immediately, she ran out to get the doctors. Two of the doctors entered the ward and performed some
regr checks on him.
“Mr. Tillman, do you feel any difort?”
“How long have I been unconscious?” Francis asked with a hoarse voice.
“You have been unconscious for 31 days.”
“What? It’s been a month?” He suddenly sat up but had to lean on the headboard as he felt weak.
“Where’s my daughter and wife?”
“Mr. Tillman, please wait for a moment. I’ll inform Ms. Tillman toe over now.”
As Francis shut his eyes, the voices that he hadst heard rang in his ears. Those voices were like a
nightmare to him. The fact that Naomi and Erica tried to kill him brought him misery.
When Anastasia stepped into the hospital hall, the nurse at the reception informed her delightedly, “Ms.
Tillman, your dad is awake.”
“For real?” With a bag in her hand, she dashed over to the elevator as she couldn’t wait to head
upstairs, and rushed all the way to her father’s ward. When she saw him sitting up, she fought back the
tears of excitement and walked in. “Dad, you are awake!”
“Anastasia, you’re here.” Francis seemed tired, but he desperately wanted to ask her something.
“Doctor Leonard, how is my father’s condition after he has regained consciousness?” Anastasia looked
at the doctor and asked.
“He is doing well. Besides theck of physical strength from not taking in any food for a prolonged
period of time, he’s not feeling any difort. We will enhance Mr. Tillman’s nutrition intake.”
“Doctor, may I speak to my daughter in private?” Francis asked.
“Of course, you can.” The doctor made everyone leave the room after that.
The look in Francis’ eyes tugged her heartstrings. Did Dad discover something before he got into a
coma?
“Dad, a lot has happened during this period of time,” she said as she sat in front of him.
“Tell me about everything that happened after I went unconscious.” He was eager to find out about
everything.
With that, Anastasia told him everything in detail, starting from when he got admitted into the hospital.
She even told him about how shameless Naomi was without reservations. Her heart ached when she
saw how upset her father was. However, in order for him to see Naomi’s true colors, she did what had
to be done.
“Dad, don’t be too upset about it. If she had the guts to hurt you, it only means that she doesn’t have
any feelings for you.” Anastasia consoled him.
As he held back his tears, he sniffled. “I’d never think that she would do that to me since we have been
married for more than twenty years. Anastasia, I’m a fool for not being able to tell apart who my foes
are among those that are close to me. Naomi, Erica, Alex, and Colin are the people closest to me, but
they wanted me dead.” “Doctor Leonard, how is my father’s condition after he has regained
consciousness?” Anastasia looked at the doctor and asked.
“Dad, you still have me.” Her heart broke for him as she knew that he was agonized by the episode.
After he heard his daughter, a glimmer of joy could be seen in his eyes. “That’s right! I still have you.
I’m fortunate to have a filial daughter like you.”
“Dad, so what do you n to do? There’s solid evidence to prove that Naomi tried to harm you and that
Erica is her aplice. It is also an undeniable fact that both of them tried to amend your will.”
Upon hearing that, he was in so much distress that he shut his eyes and his breathing got heavier.
“Dad, let’s not think about it for now. Let’s wait until you’ve recovered. If you can’t bring yourself to
punish them, I shall do it for you.”
Francis nodded. He was surprised but impressed at how artful and calm Anastasia was since she
managed to apprehend Naomi and got Alex arrested while he was unconscious. Everything she had
done was to seek revenge for him. He thanked the heavens for endowing him with a great daughter.
Just then, a tall figure was seen standing by the door. It was Elliot who rushed over from the Presgrave
Group upon hearing news that Francis was awake.
“Mr. Tillman, you’re awake,” Elliot said delightedly.
“Elliot, this is all thanks to you. Anastasia told me that you’ve hired medical professionals to treat me,
and it was because of it that I could regain my consciousness.” Francis looked at the young man
gratefully.
“This is the least I could do.” He shot a nce at Anastasia, and she turned around and met his gaze.
It was as if she could sense the excitement behind his smile, which made her blush.
“I’m so sorry for dying your engagement. If not for my ident, both of you would have gotten
engaged.” Francis felt guilty for ruining his daughter’s big day.
“Mr. Tillman, please don’t feel bad about it. The most important thing is your health. We can always pick
another date for our engagement.” Elliot consoled him.
Francis really liked Elliot as his son-inw. Regardless of his wealth and capability, his love for
Anastasia was evident, which made him a good man.
Soon after, the doctor brought some nutritious porridge over. Seeing that, Anastasia fed it to her father
while Elliot waited outside. After Francis finished eating his porridge, the doctor came in, and Anastasia
left the room.
Looking at the poised man who was leaning against the wall opposite her, she couldn’t hide her
gratitude toward him. He was instrumental in helping her father regain consciousness, and at the end
of the day, he deserved all the credit.
“Thank you.” Anastasia thanked Elliot.
“I’d have to punish you if I hear you say those words again.” As he tugged her arm, she fell into his
arms, and shortly after, she felt his arms around her waist.
“There’s no need for you to thank me since that’s the least I can do for my fiancee.” He pecked on her
red lips right after that.
Their public disy of affection caught the attention of a few nurses that walked past them. All of them
blushed as they were captivated by his domineering disposition, which they found mesmerizing. They
were envious of Anastasia’s beauty and how lucky she was to end up with someone like Elliot. She
must have done a lot of good deeds in her previous life to deserve him.
After Anastasia found out that they were being watched, she blushed as she buried her head into his
chest and covered her face using his suit.
As Elliot tilted his head down and looked at the girl in his arms, he couldn’t help but kiss the crown of
her head. “Since your father is awake, we could discuss our marriage.”
“There’s no rush for that.” She blinked her eyes.
He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “But I can’t wait any longer.”
Upon hearing his affectionate confession, she pursed her lips to hold herughter. “There’s nothing you
can do even if you’re impatient.”
“You’re heartless.” He sighed, feeling disappointed.
“Thank you.” Anastasia thanked Elliot.
“I’d have to punish you if I hear you say those words again.” As he tugged her arm, she fell into his
arms, and shortly after, she felt his arms around her waist.
“Alright, we shall discuss it after my dad’s condition improves.” She giggled.
“Sure.” He nodded.
Meanwhile, in a public hospital by the seaside, Wanda, who almost drowned, woke up on the same
day. Shey on the bed, still in a state of shock from her near-death experience. Her face was as pale
as a sheet.
“Erica, I won’t let you go. I will let Francis know about your true identity, and I look forward to your
demise,” she grumbled.
“Madam, we have paid for your medical bills, so you can leave the hospital now.” One of the volunteers
walked toward her.
“Thank you. You’re all kind-hearted people.” After being saved from drowning, Wanda was beyond
thankful.
“Avoid going to the beach next time, as you’re more prone to idents due to your age.”
“I didn’t fall into the sea. Someone pushed me down!” Wanda was exasperated.
“Then you should quickly find out who that person is and get them apprehended!”
A guilty conscience shed in Wanda’s eyes again since she was the one who brought the whole
matter upon herself. She got greedy and threatened Erica for a million. Besides, she would be put in a
tough position if Erica revealed what she did.
However, she was determined to let Francis know about Erica’s true identity to strip her of her title as
the second daughter of the Tillman Family. If she gets punished, I’ll feel so much better. Wait, I
remember she has shares under Tillman constructions! She’s not even a Tillman, so she doesn’t
deserve it, but it’s okay because I shall strip her of her fortunes!
After she left the hospital, she got on a public bus. While on the way home, she thought that Erica
would never have imagined that she was alive, and she didn’t n to make things easy for her. As
soon as she got home, she took out the yellow pages and purchased a new mobile phone and a sim
card. While she stood at the corner of the shop, she dialed Erica’s number.
“Hi, who is it?” Erica sounded impatient as she answered the call.
“Erice, don’t you recognize my voice?” Wanda scoffed.
“Are… Are you Mrs. Garner?” Erica’s voice was shaky.
“Hmph! Erica, your true identity will be revealed very soon! I will let Francis know that you are Naomi’s
illegitimate daughter and that you’re not of the Tillman bloodline.”
“Mrs. Garner, Mrs. Garner… I’m very sorry. I’m begging you. Please don’t let them know. I’ll pay you a
million immediately.” Her words were muddled up.
“I don’t want your money anymore. I just want to see your downfall.” After Wanda’s near-death
experience, she was thankful for the volunteers’ help and had made up her mind that she would be a
good person from thereon.
“Mrs. Garner, please don’t. Mrs. Garner…”
Without heeding Erica’s plea, Wanda hung up the phone. Even though she didn’t have Anastasia’s
phone number, she knew that Anastasia would definitely be at Tillman Constructions, and she could
find her there.
After Erica received the call from Wanda, her blood ran cold. She was so terrified that her face turned
pale as she slumped on the couch, as her biggest fear about Wanda still being alive came true. She
couldn’t believe that she had survived the fall!
What worried her most was the repercussions that would follow. Besides the revtion of her true
identity, she might also be charged with attempted murder. Both incidents would be the worst things
that could happen to her.
“No, I’ll never let Mrs. Garner meet Anastasia.” Her face contorted with rage.
As she squinted her eyes, she started scheming to stop them from the meeting. Erica knew Wanda
didn’t know Anastasia’s contact number and house address. She wouldn’t know about Presgrave
Hospital either. Thus, the only way for her to meet Anastasia was to go to Tillman Constructions.
She was determined to stop both of them from meeting as a murderous intent shed across her eyes.
Since she had attempted to kill Wanda before, she was ready to do it again. While she was scratching
her head, trying to think of the perfect candidate to execute the n, her birth father came to her mind.
He’d be willing to do it if he was paid for it because his source of money would be cut off if Erica lost
her status as the second daughter of the Tillman Family.
“Mrs. Garner, please don’t. Mrs. Garner…”
Without heeding Erica’s plea, Wanda hung up the phone. Even though she didn’t have Anastasia’s
phone number, she knew that Anastasia would definitely be at Tillman Constructions, and she could
find her there.
When she left her house, she was hoping that she could meet her birth father as soon as possible. The
next moment, he was seen getting down from the public bus at a bus stop not far from her house. It felt
like the heavens had answered her prayers. He was rather startled to see her because he was there to
ask for more money from her.
He was a total failure since he was unemployed and addicted to gambling. The other time when he got
money from Erica, he gambled them away, and now that he had no one to turn to, he came looking for
his daughter to ask for help.
Feeling embarrassed, he walked over and asked, “Erica, the thing is… I’m in need of some money.
Could you please…”
“Come in. There’s something I need to discuss with you.” She invited him into her house.
Feeling ttered by her invitation, he rubbed his hands and asked, “Can I really go in?”
After they were in the main hall, she questioned him curiously, “What’s your name?”
“My name is Patrick Newman. Hasn’t your mother mentioned my name before?” After letting out a self-
deprecating smile, he continued, “I must be so useless that your mother is embarrassed to even bring
up my name.”
As Erica nced over at Patrick, she had no intention whatsoever of acknowledging him as her father.
She then told him about the sticky situation she was in.
“What? You almost killed your maid? And she’s still alive?” His eyes widened with bewilderment.
“Right now, she must be nning to expose my true identity. I’d be done for if she meets Anastasia. I
would be kicked out from the Tillman Family and won’t be able to give you money in the future,” Erica
eximed.
Of course, Patrick was reluctant to put his daughter through it. He was actually proud to see that his
daughter had the disposition of a youngdy from a wealthy family.
“Erica, how do you want me to help you?” He looked at his daughter, wanting to help her out.
“I need you to make sure that Mrs. Garner is silenced forever. I need you to stop her from meeting
Anastasia.” She scowled.
“Then what do you want me to do?”
“Tomorrow, I’ll get some men to bring her somewhere, and you will have to kill her for me.”
He never expected his daughter to be that ruthless. “Erica, isn’t there another way to solve this issue?”
“Are you willing to help me or not? If you don’t help me out, I’ll be done for,” Erica coerced. She didn’t
feel bad about using him to solve her issues.
Upon hearing that, he was flustered and confessed. “I-I don’t have the guts to.”
“After my mom gave birth to me, you were never here for me. Don’t you feel sorry for me? If you want
me to acknowledge you as my father, you’ll have to do this. If you don’t, I won’t acknowledge you till the
day I die.” She threatened him.
As Patrick stood in front of his daughter, he sympathized with her and longed to hear her call him ‘dad’.
“Sure. I’ll get rid of her for you,” he said through gritted teeth.
Seeing how he agreed to do it for her, she smiled as she had finally found a scapegoat and replied,
“You’re the best dad I could ask for.” Upon hearing her call him ‘dad’, he was ted.
Based on the authority that Erica had, she couldmand the security guards of Tillman
Constructions. She immediately made a call to the surveince room and informed them that if a
woman named Wanda Garner asked to see Anastasia, they would have to inform her immediately.
Then, she would get them to bring her to a location within the vicinity.
The security guard agreed to her request, knowing that she was Francis’ second daughter.
In order to stop Wanda from meeting Anastasia, Erica immediately drove over to Tillman Constructions
to scout for a suitable location to execute her n. Finally, she found an abandoned warehouse next to
thepany.
Since it was Patrick’s first ever up-close encounter with his daughter, he couldn’t hide his excitement
seeing how capable Erica was and that she would inherit Tillman Constructions.
He knew that Francis had two daughters but had no sons, so he was confident that each daughter
would inherit half of his inheritance.
On the other hand, Wanda nned to look for Anastasia early tomorrow morning after getting some
rest. Unknown to her, Erica had set up a trap for her.
As Patrick stood in front of his daughter, he sympathized with her and longed to hear her call him ‘dad’.
Meanwhile, in the Presgrave Hospital, Old Madam Presgrave was happy that Francis had regained
consciousness and brought Jared over to visit his grandfather. Seeing that Francis was awake, Jared
happily apanied him and refused to leave his side. However, after Francis got to know that
Anastasia had been separated from Jared all this time while he was in aa, he felt bad, so he asked
her to go home to rest and not worry about him anymore.
At 9.00PM, Elliot brought Anastasia and Jared back to the mansion. It was almost midnight after they
had taken a shower. Jared had been sleeping on time, so he had gone to bed at 10.30PM.
However, both of the adults weren’t tired just yet. After her father had regained consciousness, her
stress level went down, and she felt more rxed. When she walked to the main hall, she saw Elliot
sitting cross-legged on the couch while looking at theptop that was ced on hisp. It seemed like
he was glowing as the lights were cast on him.
She sauntered toward him in her pink pajamas and sat next to him, with her freshly washed hair
draping down her shoulder. She propped her chin up and stared at the screen. It was a long email in
Chinese with lots of corporate jargon, which made her head spin.
Elliot shifted his attention from the screen to her. From his angle, she looked feminine, with glowing
skin, and her red lips were yfully pouted. Suddenly, he closed theptop and set it aside.
“But you’re not done typing!” Anastasia blinked her eyes as she thought that she might have interrupted
his work.
“Compared to work, I’m more interested in you.” Right after, he pulled her into his arms.
Her heart fluttered as she leaned in his chest while enjoying it.
“When my new yacht arrives tomorrow night, I’ll bring you and Jared out to sea.” He ran his fingers
through her long silky hair.
“Sure!” She wanted to go out and get some fresh air too.
“Let’s get engaged after your dad’s condition gets better.” This matter had been on Elliot’s mind.
“Sure.” Anastasia agreed since they were supposed to get engaged earlier on.
“You smell nice.” He picked up a strand of her hair and sniffed lightly, but his eyes were locked on her.
The atmosphere instantly became romantic and sensuous.
“I’m… having my period,” she said shyly.
Upon hearing that, he was speechless since his timing was bad. “Do you n to be mine if you’re not
having your period?” He giggled, trying to get himself out of the awkward situation.
“I’ll eventually be yours.” She smirked.